Air Conditioning Replacement Advice

19 years ago

I have been doing my research for weeks on which air conditioner to buy and it has left me a little dizzy from the experience.

I live in Southern California about an hour east of LA. Last year we saw a week of temperatures in the 110 range. I have a 5 ton unit for an 1800 sq ft two story house. The forced air unit is an Amana (about 5 years old). The condensor that just died (after 4 years of service) was a Carrier. Needless to say, Carrier hasn't rated real high on my list.

In order to make my choice I finally decided that warranties were the only thing worth comparing. I've narrowed it down to an Amana 14 seer unit (10 year compresser, 10 year coil, 10 year parts) and a 13 seer American Standard (10 year compresser, 10 year coil, 5 year parts). The Amana is 1,000 dollars more thatn the American Standard.

I've decided to keep my forced air unit because I'm replacing windows with double-pane low e-glass. I'm hoping that will reduce my need for a lot of cooling umph. Nonetheless, my wife enjoys living in a house that's cooled into the low 70's.

My questions:

Which system is better?

I have a 5,000 budget to do condensor and coils. Is there a better option?

Any tips for making the choice or adjustments to my options?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

rekclaw
Original Author
19 years ago
I forgot a couple of other critical pieces of information. I'm also in the middle of adding a room addition. The area where the condenser will be placed is all dirt, it serves as the area where the dogs will do their business during the construction, and it's right next to the vent for my drier. All in all, the absolutely worst environment for the condenser.
bob_brown
19 years ago
Hello,
Are you living in a mobile home in the desert?

You have a design problem. If a system died at 4 years, and you are using a 5-ton system, then you could have a duct design problem. The size of the system is very large for the sqft of the house. Keeping a house real cool is hard on a system, if the system runs constantly. A 5-ton system for 1800 sqft should be overkill, unless you keep your windows open. The Carrier may have some warrantee left. 5 years under any conditions, is usually under warrantee. It sounds like you beat the equipment to death trying to maintain an unrealistic temperature.

110 degree temperature requires different equipment. Your equipment needs to cycle, and have a chance to rest. It does not sound like this is the case.

Insulation is very important to maintain the temperature. Once achieved it should be simple to maintain. If not enough insulation, this will be difficult or impossible.

Ceiling fans produce the effect of a 3 degree reduced air temperature. Use fans.

A water cooled condenser is probably better suited for your climate. Keeping the high side cool makes the system perform better. Not just better, but properly. This is not a standard product for home HVAC yet. Dry Cleaners use a chiller on their cleaning machines that would work. The budget would be close, but doable.

Buying a new system, is not the answer. Let several contractors give their opinion on how to solve the problem, then listen to them.
Related Professionals
Selma General Contractors · New Haven General Contractors · La Grande General Contractors · Sanford General Contractors · Lake City Home Remodeling · Augusta Home Remodeling · Covington Home Remodeling · Shreveport Home Remodeling · Cambridge Home Remodeling · Ocala Bathroom Remodelers · Dalton Bathroom Remodelers · Danbury Bathroom Remodelers · Elgin Bathroom Remodelers · Mansfield Bathroom Remodelers · Merced Bathroom Remodelers
louisville_card
19 years ago
We went through this almost 3 years ago. We ended up with a complete American Standard system for our upstairs and left the original units for downstairs.

We have a 13 SEER 3 ton AC and an 80% efficient furnace with variable speed blower. We've been real happy with the unit. It's been a while but I remember American Standard got pretty high ratings in Consumer Reports or Consumer Digest or both.

I really like the varaible speed as it's quieter and the temperature seems more consistent than downstairs. We did opt for an extended warranty since the variable speed motor is one of the more expensive components and we were told by an HVAC friend that if we were to have problems it would be that, but since you're keeping your blower that would not be an issue.

HTH,

Louisville_Card
zzxx
19 years ago
Having a 5 ton AC syatem is way to much for an 1800 sq' home. You should contact HVAC companies that will do a Manual J and Manual D load calculations to determine the correct tonnage and needs for your home.
airsome
19 years ago
No matter how good the reputation of the brand and the warranty, the installed system will only be as good as the company that installs, services, and guaratees their results.
The manufacturer's warranty is worthless if the company that installs the equipment has a bad reputation. Such companies look for sales and do not care about keeping their customers once the installation is complete.
Look for a company that will stay with you through thick and thin. Ask around.